Variety is the spice of movies this week as one series will make its debut as another closes.
And two theaters will provide a look at Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Oscar- winning performance.

Divine documentary

Strongwater Food and Spirits, 400 W. Rich St.

I Am Divine (2013), a documentary from director Jeffrey Schwarz, will begin what is hoped
to be a quarterly series of films about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender topics. Stonewall
Columbus is presenting the series.

I Am Divine examines the life of Harris Glenn Milstead, a chubby, picked-upon boy from
Baltimore who became the transvestite movie actor Divine, appearing in movies by high-school
classmate John Waters.

The pair created
Pink Flamingos (1972) and
Female Trouble (1974), which became cult-film classics. In 1988, they released
Hairspray, which was later adapted into a Tony award-winning stage musical.

Just a few weeks after the release of
Hairspray, Milstead died in his sleep of an enlarged heart. He was 42.

“It is the story of a marginalized human being, a person who was bullied, who used their
difficulty in life to rise above that and create their own persona and their own place in the
artistic world,” said series coordinator Lori Gum, program and pride coordinator for Stonewall
Columbus. “It’s a quality documentary. It’s well-made.”

The series is seeking unusual venues for its films — such as Strongwater Food and Spirits in
Franklinton, which offers space for a screening as well as a bar and a restaurant. Viasitrs can
grab a bite to eat or have a drink before the screening starts.

The series of films from Italian filmmaker, poet, writer and painter Pier Paolo Pasolini
culminates with a double feature:
Love Meetings (1964) and
Notes for an African Oresteia (1970).

In
Love Meetings, Pasolini grabs a microphone and asks fellow Italians (who are living in a
conservative Roman Catholic nation in 1963) about their views on sexuality.

For example, he asks people whether a woman’s virginity matters, how they feel about
homosexuality and whether it is more important to be a good lover or a good parent.

Notes for an African Oresteia follows Pasolini on a casting tour through Tanzania and
Uganda in hopes of adapting
The Oresteia, a Greek tragedy; it never got made.

Despite the brutal weather during the series’ run, David Filipi, film/video director for the
center, said he has been satisfied with the attendance and has received “incredible” comments from
patrons.

“Pasolini is a rare figure, so you’re going to encounter people revisiting his work, seeking out
films they might have missed but have read about, and those encountering it for the first time,”
Filipi said. “Probably the best example of meaningful feedback is to see many of the same faces
coming to multiple films, if not all of them.”

Drexel Theatre, 2254 E. Main St.; Gateway Film Center, 1550 N. Main St.

In the wake of the death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, the Drexel and the Gateway theaters
will revisit his signature roles.

Both theaters will screen
Capote (2005), the role that earned Hoffman his only Academy Award. Hoffman portrayed
author Truman Capote during his writing of
In Cold Blood.

The Gateway will also show
The Master (2012), in which Hoffman portrays a charismatic cult leader who attracts a
loner played by Joaquin Phoenix. Gateway officials are trying to schedule a third movie, but as of
press time, nothing had been settled.

The Drexel will screen
Capote twice; the Gateway will show each movie three times.